The Packers were reportedly trying to trade Bishop, but apparently they failed (for the second time). There was word they would also try to restructure his contract, but there was really no benefit to the scenario for Bishop, who was set to make $3.464 million this season.

Someone will surely snatch Bishop up quickly once he’s released, much like the Chargers jumped onD.J. Smith, another linebacker the Packers released earlier this offseason.

Bishop’s biggest sins are easy to identify — he missed all of last season with a hamstring injury and Ted Thompson didn’t draft him No. 5 overall. Neither of those things are his fault and Bishop actually said he’s back to 100 percent a few weeks ago.

Before getting injured, Bishop was the Packers best inside linebacker. In 2011, he had 115 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles in 13 games.

But seriously, you’d rather put your chips in with a guy that might not be ready for the season and could possibly injure himself again then with a guy who’s younger and 100% ready to go right now? If if that’s the case, we should ask Woodson if he’d like to come back.

Granted, I don’t know his medical condition. I have to trust the Packers made the decision solely on last year’s injury and his unwillingness to restructure his deal. Remember, they tried to trade him but nobody wanted him! I’m sure they would have let him go for a couple of late round draft picks. What does that say about his condition? Of course, he’ll be healthy at some point. But when? This is win now league, remember?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy to see him go. He was a mean son of a bitch.

This is one of those really puzzling moves from Ted Thompson. I understand you cannot pay three (3) players starter money for two (2) spots. However, Bishop’s on-field production (when healthy) speaks volumes of where the team’s defensive attitude and identify stemmed from. To me, the Packers have now just said: ‘We like Brad Jones and AJ Hawk better, whether or not Bishop would have come back and played to a high level.’ AJ Hawk doesn’t suck, but he’s never really been a big play guy. He’s a working solider, nothing more. He’s redone his contract, and it says the right thing, he’s a team-first guy—and a high Ted Thompson draft pick. Remember, TT was blue collar LB in the NFL himself and never was a star. I think he appreciates Hawk for his ‘show up and play and don’t complain and team-first mentality’. So, that’s why Hawk stays on the team and is the starter. So, that really leaves Brad Jones. Nothing bad to say about him, but nothing that great either. Did he play better last year? I guess? But again, nothing that made you really go: ‘Wow, look how great Brad Jones is!’ So here we are. For a team that clearly missed Bishop’s style of aggressive defensive play in 2012 and needs more punch and fight, they release him when he ‘appears’ to be 100% healthy? Something is a bit amiss here. I’m not sure you do this, regardless of the salary/cost ramifications unless you know something we just don’t. Either way, Brad Jones absolutely HAS to produce now. If he goes down with injury or is a non-factor AND Bishop goes on to have a solid to stellar year elsewhere, this will go down as an inescapable misstep from Ted Thompson. All that said, I’ve learned to give TT the benefit of the doubt. He’s proven he deserves it. With this move though, from my vantage point—it leaves me really scratching my head. We’ll see I guess…..and God help you Brad Jones.

This smacks of the Collins affair… where the fans didn’t have the info that the organization had.

Collins was at risk of not playing the position well, in addition to having a significant chance of re-injuring his neck. For players that had his injury, I saw stats that about 25-30% had to have follow-up fusion/surgery, which really screw-up their lives.

We don’t really know the medical situation on Bishop. I’ve read where the tendon had to be re-attached, but to what: the hamstring, the rest of the tendon, or the bone???

The only reason for releasing him at this stage is to avoid paying him $4-5 mill to stand on the sideline, if he re-injured himself. If history is any precedent, I think it likely that he would have been limited in camp, and possibly on PUP.

I have to think that Thompson has a better handle on the situation than many of the pundits posting here…

The Packers are privy to his medical records and they obviously felt there was a good chance that he would re-injure his hamstring tendon and it would cost them $3.4 million dollars for the whole season, even if he were injured again in TC.

100% medical. High probability of reinjuring a surgically repaired tendon-to-bone connection. If that doesn’t happen, the chance he never returns to 2011 form is likely. Ted weighed the pros and cons, and made the prudent decision. Jones impressed in Bish’s absence last year, and they’re in love with Manning. We will be fine at ilb.

All that said, this really bums me out. I loved the way the guy played and the attitude he brought.

According to my kids Pre-school class poster, our “Gold” matches up identically with the “Yellow” on their color wheel. Besides, what are N.O.’s colors then? Its just obviously quite a bit more yellow than it is gold

There are at least 30-40 players left on our current roster who should be cut over this guy. I wonder how much of a salary dump of the players who won’t make the team anyways would’ve been needed to make this happen. Ted is dumb. You have to have backups that are as good as starters and vice versa to go deep in the playoffs year after year. This will backfire.

Bishop was a bad ass in 2010 and helped us win a title. He will always be a Packer as far as I am concerned.

I am not going to over-laud his 2011 stats. The Packers ranked 32nd in defense that year. Middle linebackers have the tendency to put up big stats on shitty defenses, usually because no one else is tackling.

The fact of the matter is that the Packers’ staff knows a helluva lot more about what is going on with Bishop than us fans do.

I find it funny how everyone is talking about TT this and TT that. TT makes the final decisions, yes, and he’d be the first person to say that. However, if MM had Bishop on the top line of his depth chart, then none of this happens. So, this ISN’T just TT. MM doesn’t have Bishop’s back either.

I find it funny how Bishop says he is 100% healthy and blah, blah, blah. Meanwhile, he has sat out every OTA and minicamp so far this offseason.

TT was willing to part with $1.6 million in dead money to part from Bishop. THAT alone says an awful lot.

I’m no doctor, and I didn’t stay at a holiday in express last night, but Bishop’s injury, to me at least, seems to indicate steroids. His muscles were so strong that they pulled the tendon off the bone? Shouldn’t the muscle have ripped first?

I will definitely miss the attitude he brought. I do agree with GBSlacker – TT knows something he’s not saying.

TT doesn’t determine the depth chart, Lars. That is up to the defensive coaches and MM. If TT sees a LB just coming off a serious injury who is listed as a back up on the depth and making $3.5 million, then he may want to address it.

I wonder if some people actually believe the delusion that AJ Hawk starts because TT wants him to. TT doesn’t determine who starts. That is the job of the coaching staff. If the coaches didn’t think he was the best guy to be out there, he wouldn’t be.